The nanoscale science and engineering have shown great promise for the fabrication of novel nano-biosensors with faster response and higher sensitivity than that of planar sensor configurations, due to their small dimensions combined with dramatically increased contact surface and strong binding with biological and chemical reagents which could have important applications in biological and biochemical research, as well as in environmental monitoring and protection.
ZnO nanostructures have many advantages. As disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/243,269, nanotip arrays made with insulating or conductive ZnO can be fabricated in a controlled manner to produce tips with a uniform size, distribution and orientation. The ZnO nanotips are made using our chemical vapor deposition (CVD)-based method in a simple process at relatively low temperatures as disclosed by S. Muthukumar*, H. Sheng*, J. Zhong*, Z. Zhang*, N. W. Emanaetoglu*, Y. Lu, “Selective MOCVD Growth of ZnO Nanotips”, IEEE Trans. Nanotech, Vol.2, n.1, pp.50-54 (2003), giving ZnO nanostructures a unique advantage over other wide bandgap semiconductor nanostructures, such as gallium nitride (GaN) and silicon carbide (SiC). Furthermore, through proper doping and alloying, ZnO nanotips can be made as piezoelectric and ferroelectric, transparent and conducting, and magnetic, thus having multifunctional applications.
Recent advances in genetic sequencing methods are leading to an explosion in the area of biotechnology. Many emerging areas of biotechnology are based upon highly-parallel methods for sequencing and detecting DNA, RNA, and proteins. Many of these areas could benefit greatly by leveraging the emerging nanotechnology, but applying it to develop and utilize new analytical tools for biochemical analysis. A need exists to provide novel biological and biochemical sensors, which have higher sensing efficiency and multiple functionality, thereby having significant advantages in comparison to the existing sensor technology.